Clutch mechanism.



.C. W. MICHAEL. CLUTCH MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 5, 1912Patented June 15, 1915.

THE NORRIS PETERS 50., FHOTO-LITHOL. WASIINGTUN, D. C.

1,143,221. Oriiginalapplicatiofi filed September 13, 1911, Seria1No.649,118. Divided and. this application filed October AEL, a citizen of"the United States,

in elevation and partly in section on the line i nrran srarns rarnnrogrrrcri CLEMENT W. MICHAEL, OF RACI NE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOB TO 3'. I.CASE PLOW V17 ORKS,

' OF RAGINE, WISCONSIN, A- CORPORATION.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

; I cLU'rcn JMECI-IANISM.

Patented June :15, 1915.

5, 1912. Serial No. 724,156.

To all whom it may concern. o Be it known that I, CLEMENT W. MICH-resident of Racine, county of Racine, and State of Wisconsin, haveinvented certain new and useful Mechanism, of which the following is aspecification. r

The invention relates to clutch mechanism such-as is employedforeflectingthe intermittent operation of the seed plates. of a cornplanter and seeks to provide means whereby the complete disengagement ofthe clutch members is properly eifectedi Thepresent application is adivision of Letters Patent No. 1,052,710, granted to me February 11,1914:. V

The invention consists in the features of improvement hereinafter set'forth, illus trated inthe preferred form inthe accompanying drawings andmore particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figurelis'a view partly 11 of Fig. 1 of the improvedclutch. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating'the parts in changedposition. Fig. '3 is an' elevation 'of the opposite side of the clutchmechanism with parts in section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 7

4. Fig. 4 is a central section.

As set forth in the prior application referred to, the improved 10 whichconstitutes the main drive shaft of the machine. This axle or shaft isjournaled in bearings secured to: the side bars of the machine.

One of these bearingsll is shown in the accompanying drawingsconn'ected' to an adjacent side bar 12.

members which, in the preferred'embodiment of the invention illustrated,are in the form of a clutch disk 13 and a sprocket wheel 'l- Theseclutch members are provided with sleeve-like hubs 15 and 16 throughwhich the axle or drive shaft 10 extight member or.

Improvements in Clutch.

clutch mechanism is 1 preferably mounted upon the wheel axle The Vclutch comprises rotary driving and driventhe clutch dog means may beemployed for connecting the loose or driven clutch member to the seedplates.

The driving. clutch member or disk 13 is vprovided with a laterallyprojecting flange 20having a series of ratchet teeth 21 formed upon itsinner face. ranged to be engaged by a clutch dog 22 which iseccentrically pivoted'upon the face of the driven clutch member 11 by abolt 23. The particular form of clutch dog illustrated is L-shaped andis provided at its corner with a wear plate 2 1 which engages the teeth21 of the clutch disk 13. One end of the clutch dog is provided with anotch orrecess 25 between two lugs or shoulders 26 and 27 thereon. Astud 28 projects laterally through an opening 29 in the driven clutchmember 141 and into the recess 25. This stud is fixed to a rotatableclutch controlling member, the sleeve-like hub 80 of which is mounted onthe hub 16 of the driven clutch member 14. Thislclutch controllingmember has a number of sets of radially'projecting stop arms 31 which,as clearly setforth in the prior application referred to, are arrangedin different sets with a different number of uniformly spaced arms ineach set; but the particular arrangement of these arms forms no part ofthe present invention.

A coiled spring 32 extends between lugs 33 and 3 1 formed, respectively,upon the clutch controlling member and on the sprocket wheel or backwardmovement by a retaining pawl 35 which engages the teeth 18 thereof, andthe spring 82 tends to rotate the clutch controlling member iniforwarddirection and thereby, through the medium of the lug 28, move 22 intoengagement with the teeth 21 of the driving clutch member 13. The drivenclutch member is normally held stationary, with the clutch dog 22disengaged and the spring 32 under tension, by a trip arm 86which isarranged to engage one of the stop arms 31 of the clutch controllingmember. A spring 37 (see Figs. 1 and 2) extends between a lug 38 on thedriven clutch member and the pivoted end of the clutch dog and tends tomove the latter away from the ratchet teeth 21, so that the clutch Theseteeth are ardriven clutch member 14:. The driven clutch member 1 1 isheld against dog is held in its disengagedposition by'the driving clutchdisk but the forward movement of the. driven. clutch memberand partsconnected thereto is continued until the lost, motion between iscompleted, the spring 37 acts to further v axis of the spring 37, in thedisengaged against the lug 26 'is' arrested by driving clutch 26 on thefree'end of spring 37 with the lug v the laterally projectthe dog heldagainst ingstud 28 of the clutch controlling member. 7

When the trip 36 is shifted and disengaged from one of the stop arms,the spring 32 oscillatesthe clutch controlling member in forward row inFig. 3) and the;stud28. (thereon acts shifts the latter into engagementwith the 13; The. driven clutch member 14 and sprocket chain119 are thenoperated to advance machine until the trip arm 36engageslanother stop'.arm. The movement of (the clutchcontrolling member is then. arrested,

the stud 28 and the lug 27 on the clutch dog istaken up. This positionof the parts is 2. The continued forward teeth 21 and assoon as thisdisen a ement shift the clutch-'dogaway from ,theratchet teeth to itscompletely disengaged position, shown in Fig. 1.

the engagement of the lug26 thereon with the'stud 28 The spring 32'isstronger than the spring 37, so that when the;trip 36 is' shifted. torelease the clutch controlling member, the .dog 22. will be forced toits engaged position against the tension of the spring .37. Moreover,the

p051- tion of the dog'shown in Fig. 1, extends slightly on d spring isless than that exerted by the spring'32. In the engaged position of thedog, the axis of the spring 37,in the form shown, extends through thepivot of the dog, so that it exertslittle or no eifectthereon;

Furthermore, .the forward thrust of: the

curely holds it in engaged positionv against any tension exerted thereonby the spring 37, the trip engages one of the stop arms toinitially.disengagethe dog. through the medium of the clutch control butas soon as ling member, the spring37 further shifts the latter away fromthe teeth. of the driving ratchet 13 and thus prevents a chattering ofthe dog upon the ratchet teeth or the accidental engagement of, theclutch members.

Uponv the complete, disengagement of the clutch members, the retainingpawl35 engages one of the teeth 18 of the driven clutch member orsprocket wheel and holds the latter against backward movement. In the,

direction (indicated by the aron the clutch [dog and,

the seed plates of the This movementof the dog arrangement of the oneside of the'pivot'23 of the i so that the leverage exerted-by this.

i and, 27011 the thereby prevent the chattering of'the over :the teethor the accidental engagement member upon the dog seof thedog'therewith.p 7

details setforth may varied withoutdeparture from the esseng inventionas defined zin the teeth of the sprocket wheel outside of the chain '19an d, for this reason, the teeth 18 Wh e age provided with pawl ismounted upon an upwardly and ine wardlyprojecting bar 39 which issecured to the adjacentisidel bar;;l2.' By meiIDSzOf athis'ipawlthecloose driven clutch'member is norarm 36 with. one: ofthe stop .arms.31.. I

- The 3trip v arm 36: is. pivotally mounted upon a-stud 40whichproje'ctsinwardly from the chain are extended and properly shaped outer ends.which, ineifect, form ratchet teeth withwhich 'the'retaining pawl 35cotiperates. This 7 form shown, this retaining pawl engages the it; isheld. against forward men'tfoff the trip abracket 4L1 secured totheadjaoent side bar i 12. This bracket 11 of the shaftlO, A spring 42is connected by a link .43 to an arm 4A: on .theihub of the alsosustains the bearing.

stop arm 36 and serves to hold the .latter normally i i-position withits rear end engaging oneof .the-stop armsi-l3l and with its. oppo siteendiheld in engagement with a a bracket 45. This bracket, priorapplication referred to, .is slidably mounted upona cross bar 46 and'isprovided with perforated ears'at its rear .end' whichengage the spindleor pivot .40 on opposite sides of the trip: armsoithatthebracket andtrip arm can bring the trip any one of the trip arm forms nofpartbeshifted laterally to thereby 1 into coiiperative relationwith sets ofstop arms 31. 'Asthis 1 eo asclearly set forth 11111181 7 p of thepresentinvention, itne'ednot be more J fully set forth; The .trip arm isconnected by a link 47 "tothe isshifted at; each to efiect theoperationof the plates driven therefrom. Y

' The stud 28 clutch and seed endof the clutch; dog form a checkrowmechanismzand operation of themiachine arranged between thelugs 26 lostmotion connection between the dogiand the clutch controlling ;member,sothat V the spring 37 canact asdescribed, to throw the dog well awayfromthe ratchet teeth 21 and 512d 1. In a clutch mechanism," the combinafor:connecting dog, and asecond tion with rotary driving and driven clutchbackward movement of said driven clutch as members, of a clutch dog forconnecting member, substantially as described. said members, a rotaryclutch controlling 6. In a clutch mechanism, the combinamember forshifting saiddog, a spring for tion with rotary driving and drivenclutch throwing said dog to engaged position, a members, of a clutchdog'mounted on said trip cooperating with said controlling clutch drivenclutch member and shiftable into and 60 member for initially disengagingsaid dog, out of engagement with said driving memand a second but weakerspring for further" ber, a rotary clutch controlling member coshiftingsaid dog to its disengaged position, axial with said driving and drivenmembers 10 substantially as described. 7 7 and having a lost motionconnection with 3. In a clutch mechanism, the combinasaid dog, a springconnecting said controltion with rotary driving and driven clutch 7 lingmember and said driven clutch member members, of a dog mounted on saiddriven for throwing said dog into engaged posiclutch member andshiftable into and out tion, said clutch controlling member hav- 15 ofengagement with said driving member, ing a series of stop arms, a triparranged a rotary clutch controlling member having ato engage said stoparms to initially dislost motion connection with said dog, a engage saiddog, and a second'but weaker spring connecting said controlling memberspring interposed between said driven and said driven clutch member forthrowclutch member and said dog for further 2 ing said dog into engagedposition, a trip shifting the latter to its disengaged posicooperatingwith said controlling clutch tion, substantially as described. member toinitially disengage said dog and 7. In a clutch mechanism, the combinaasecond but weaker spring for further tion with rotary driving and drivenclutch shifting said dog to its disengaged position, members, of a dogmounted on said driven 25 substantially asdescribed. V clutch member andshiftable into and out 4. In a clutch mechanism, the combinaofengagement with said driving member, tion with rotary drivingand drivenclutch a rotary clutch controlling member opermembers, of a dog forconnecting said clutch atively connected to said dog, a springconmembers, a clutch controlling member opnecting said controllingmember and said 30 eratively connected to said dog and having drivenclutch member for throwing said a series of stop arms, a trip forengaging dog into engaged position, a trip cooperatsaid stop arms toinitially shift said dog ing with said clutch controlling member forfrom engaged position, and a spring for initially disengaging said dog,a second but completing the shift of said dog to its disweaker springinterposed between said dog 35 engaged position, substantially as deandsaid driven clutch member for 'com scribed. I pleting the shift of saiddog to its disen- 5. In a clutch mechanism, the combinagaged position,and a retaining pawl artion with rotary driving and driven clutch rangedto'engage said driven clutch memmembers, of a spring for throwing saidher to prevent the backward movement 40 clutch members into engagement,a trip for thereof, substantially as described.

initially disengaging said clutch members, CLEMENT W. MICHAEL. a secondbut weaker spring for completing Witnesses:

the disengagement of said clutch'members, STANLEY A. BREWER,

and a retaining pawl for preventing the EDWARD E. WILLIAMS.

copies of this patent may be obtained'for five cents each, by addressingthe Gommissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0.

